Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Exploring Energy, Comfort, And Building Health Impacts Of Deep Setback And Normal Occupancy Smart Thermostat Implementation, Zachary Ethan Alderman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As smart thermostat adoption rates continue to increase, it becomes worthwhile to explore what unanticipated outcomes may result in their use. Specific attention was paid to smart thermostat impacts to deep setback and normal occupancy states in a variety of conditions while complying with the ventilation and temperature requirements of ASHRAE 90.2-2013. Custom weather models and occupancy schedules were generated to efficiently explore a combination of weather conditions, building constructions, and occupancy states. The custom modeling approach was combined with previous experimental data within the Openstudio graphics interface to the EnergyPlus building modeling engine. Results indicate smart thermostats add the …

A Spreadsheet Algorithm For Determining The Economic Feasibility Of Micro-Chp Systems In The Arkansas Manufacturing Sector, Ford R. Lewallen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Combined heat and power (CHP) systems are not new to the market. However, advances in technology, specifically MicroTurbines, have presented new opportunities for installations of micro-CHP units - defined as 50 kWe to 300 kWe, specifically at small- to medium-sized industrial facilities. One pressing concern is whether or not an industrial plant has a high enough process thermal load requirement to fully utilize the energy output.

This thesis will discuss simulations that were run on several actual electric and thermal load combinations, which correspond to types of manufacturing facilities commonly found in Arkansas. Analysis of the plant usage profiles will …

An Economic Analysis Of Residential Photovoltaic Systems With And Without Energy Storage, Rodney Moses Kizito

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Residential photovoltaic (PV) systems serve as a source of electricity generation that is separate from the traditional utilities. Investor investment into residential PV systems provides several financial benefits such as federal tax credit incentives for installation, net metering credit from excess generated electricity added back to the grid, and savings in price per kilowatt-hour (kWh) from the PV system generation versus the increasing conventional utility price per kWh. As much benefit as stand-alone PV systems present, the incorporation of energy storage yields even greater benefits. Energy storage (ES) is capable of storing unused PV provided energy from daytime periods of …